Forever Inoccent, Forever True
by thatwriterkidtoday
Summary: When a boy shows up on her doorstep, Emma Swan's life changes forever. SWANQUEEN endgame. Trigger warning: mentions of rape.
1. Chapter 1

"Emmy, come on," my four year old little brother, Carter, called. I was the eldest of four siblings, all adopted of course, and I took my role as big sister very seriously. Our parents, Jacob and Carly Swan, were very young when they adopted me, only twenty two. They had found me on the side of the road when I was a very young infant and from the moment that they laid eyes on me, they loved me.

I was six when they adopted Hannah, a four year old Chinese girl with bright eyes and a taste for adventure. Ten years later, when I was sixteen, they adopted another infant. Matthew stood out a bit in our home, his mahogany skin and chocolate eyes very different. Then finally, when I was twenty five, they adopted one year old Carter. He was just like me in so many ways, blonde hair, green eyes, pale skin, and a sense of being lost, even when he had already been found. Our parents died that year and made that him my responsibility. That made all of them my responsibility.

"Matt, we're gonna have cake. You need to come on if you want some," I yelled down the hall to the twelve year old. It was my twenty eighth birthday and even though I was not in the mood for celebrating, my siblings insisted. Hannah had driven down from her apartment in New York City that afternoon and had to return that night to be back at work the next day but at least we were going to be together. "Matt-"

"I'm coming, sorry," Matt apologized, coming into the room. He had clearly been speedily trying to change out of his soccer clothes as he looked quite disheveled. Still, he had tried to make an effort and that made me smile. "Hannah here?"

"Just arrived," Hannah said, coming through the door, a small black box and a two liter of soda in hand. She was still dressed in her work attire, a smart navy blue skirt and blazer set, a white blouse, and black pumps. She was fresh out of law school and had just started a job at the Manhattan DA's office. "Am I late?"

"Just on time, Emma's about to cut the cake."

I moved the knife to the cake and made a move to slice it when the four year old screamed out, "No! You have to light the candles and make a wish, Emmy."

Hannah looked like she was going to protest but I stopped her with a look, letting her know that we were keeping his innocence as long as possible. I retrieved the number candles that I had bought and my lighter, setting everything up. I really couldn't think of anything to wish for and so I stood there a minute until a thought hit me. They sang and when I blew out the candles, a knock sounded at the door. I thought that was odd but I went to answer it anyways.

On the other side was a boy, older than Carter and younger than Matt, probably around ten, with messy brown hair and bright green eyes, far too like my own. He smiled when he saw me and spoke, "Are you Emma Swan?"

"Yeah. Who are you?" I shot back.

"My name's Henry. I'm you're son."

"Whoa! Hey, kid! Kid! Kid! I don't have a son! Where are your parents?"  
"Ten years ago. Did you give up a baby for adoption? That was me."  
"Give me a minute."

I went to the kitchen where my siblings were waiting and they could tell that something was wrong. Hannah came forward and put her hands on my arms, trying to calm me. "Who was it at the door?"

"My son."

"Hey, you have any juice?" Henry came in, seeing everyone for the first time. He waved shyly and it would've been cute if I wasn't sure that he was crazy. "Hi."

"Guys, this is Henry, my son. Henry, those is my brother Matthew, my sister Hannah, and my brother Carter."

"You know, we should probably get going."

"Going where?"

"I want you to come home with me."

"I can't leave them."

"Then bring them with you. We have to go."

"Okay, kid. I'm calling the cops."

"Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me."

"And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother."

"Yep."

"You're not going to do that."

"Try me."

"You're pretty good. But here's the thing – there's not a lot I'm great at in life. I have one skill. Let's call it a superpower. I can tell when anyone is lying and you, kid, are."

"Wait… Please don't call the cops. Please, come home with me."

"You do have to get him home," Matt pointed out.

"Where's home, kid?"

"Storybrooke, Maine," Henry smiled.

"Storybrooke? Seriously?"

"Mhmmmm."

"Alrighty, then. Let's get you back to Storybrooke. Matt, Carter, grab some clothes. We're going on a road trip."

My four door Dodge Challenger zoomed down the road as we headed through the dark to a small town in Maine. Hannah went back to New York City with a promise to call in the morning but I still had three very tired kids in my car and it seemed like the road that I was on would never end. It was very late by the time I got to this Storybrooke.

"Okay, kid. How about an address?" I asked, looking slightly to the back seat where Henry sat with an already asleep Carter

"Forty-four Not Telling You street."

"Look, it's been a long night and it's almost… 8:15?"

"That clock hasn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen here."

"Excuse me?"

I wasn't the only one giving him skeptic looks. It appears my brother didn't believe him either.

"The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."

"Okay, the Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairy tale characters here."

"Yeah, and now they're trapped."

"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine," Matt said with a raised eyebrow. "That's what you're going with?"

"It's true!"

"Then why doesn't they just leave?" Carter spoke up, letting everyone know that he was awake and attentive.

"They can't. If they try, bad things happen."

"Kid," I warned. He sighed and pointed me down the street, to a ginormous white mansion. When we got there he suddenly grabbed my arm, stopping me from turning off the car.

"Please don't take me back there."

"I have to. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

"I don't have parents. Just a mom and she's evil."

"Evil? That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

"She is. She doesn't love me. She only pretends to."

I saw the look on Matthew's face when he said that. Matthew, who was old enough to remember our mom and dad, was obviously hurt by the flippant way in which he talked about his mother. The way he didn't care hurt us, because we'd lost ours.

"Kid… I'm sure that's not true."

"Henry!" A woman called, running from the house. She was beautiful and for a moment I could only stare t her as she ran to the car. I got out, along with Henry, but motioned for the other kids to stay in the car out of sight. "Henry… Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?"

"I found my real mom," Henry shouted, running past her and into the house. Behind the woman was a rugged looking man in leather.

"Y-you're Henry's birth mother?"

"Hi…"

"I'll just go…check on the lad. Make sure he's alright," the man shrugged, going into the house after the boy.

"Mayor Regina Mills," the woman extended her hand.

"Emma Swan," I shook it firmly.

"How would like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

"I can't drink. I have, um…"

"Emmy," Carter called, stepping out of the car. He and Matthew came to stand with me, the younger tucking himself into my side.

"You have other kids?" Regina snarled. "You kept them and gave up Henry?"

"These are my brothers, Carter and Matthew," I explained, praying that she didn't ask any more questions. She may not have but I needed answers. "Guys, this is Mayor Mills. Mayor, how did he find me?"

"No idea. When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed. I was told the birth mother didn't want to have any contact."

"You were told right."

"Do I need to be worried about you, Miss Swan?"

"Absolutely not."

Carter yawned and I knew that fairly soon we would have to leave. The kids needed to get some sleep. They had school the next day.

"Madam Mayor, you can relax," the guy said, coming from the house. "Other than being a tired little boy, Henry's fine."

"Thank you, Sheriff," Regina said, obviously dismissing him. He shrugged, hopped in his squad car, and left. Turning to me, she smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry he drug you out of your life. I really don't know what's gotten into him."

"Kid's having a rough time. It happens," I shrugged, knowing how kids were as I was raising two myself. "I really should be heading back."

"Of course, Miss Swan. Please, be safe. It was nice meeting you."

"You as well. Come on guys."

"Bye, Mayor Mills," Carter waved cutely before getting into the car. It was time for us to leave. Or that's what I thought but it was late and when I saw the sign for the bed and breakfast I knew that that was my stop. I booked a room for the night and made sure that the boys were asleep on the bed before curling up on the couch and slipping into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

My father had been a cop and my mother a doctor, leading me to my current line of work as a medical examiner. It didn't take long, especially when my parents were alive. I graduated high school a year early, finished college in two years, and had a medical degree at only 23, the youngest in my class. Hannah swears that it was perfect timing, that I accepted my first job only a month before my parents died. I was only 23 but I was better suited to take care of the young ones than most everyone I knew.

I was good at my job, good at solving crimes. I had vowed to myself that when Carter was a little bit older I would go to the police academy so that I could be a medical examiner and a detective. I wanted to put my super power of being able to tell if someone was lying to better use than just parenting. Though, I wasn't always sure how good I was at the parenting thing, the little boy I found curled on top of me in the morning was a good sign.

Carter's unruly blonde hair was tickling my nose and I sneezed loudly, making him shift and move. I wasn't really worried about waking him up, he could sleep through the apocalypse, but I was worried about the room's other occupant. I soon realized that that wasn't really a problem as Matthew was already in the chair across from me, flipping through the channels on the tv.

"How'd you sleep?" I asked, shifting the little boy off of me and sitting up.

"Better than you, I'm sure," Matt shot back with a smile. "We're going home, right?"

"Yeah, I just didn't want to drive last night. It was late and I was tired."

"You were pretty shaken up from seeing Henry, I could tell."

"I feel bad. I feel horrible, actually, for giving him up."

"You don't have to, no one blames you for the choice that you had to make."

"I-"

"Emma," Regina called frantically from the other side of the door. I looked at the sleepy little boy next to me who seemed unaffected and I went to answer the door. The uptight mayor looked frazzled and I had to admit, it was rather cute. "Henry? Do you know where he is?"

"Honey, I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house."

"Yeah, well, he wasn't in his room this morning."

"Did you try his friends?"

"He doesn't really have any. He's kind of a loner."

"Every kid has friends. Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone, he'd be emailing them."

"And you know this how?"

"I solve puzzles for a living. I can help you look for him."

"Thank-thank you," Regina trembled, obviously wary of me but still very desperate.  
Going through his computer turned up a search that he did to find me using his teacher's credit card that led us to the elementary school. Mary Margaret Blanchard was a dainty little woman with brown eyes, very short brown hair, and the fashion sense of a fifties housewife. I was a little afraid of seeing Regina rip into this docile woman and so I stopped her and Matt, Carter asleep where he sat on my hip.

"Will you stay here with Matt while I go and talk to her?" I asked Regina calmly, reaching out a hand to gently touch her crossed arms. She just nodded resolutely and I smiled at her, earning myself one in return. With that, I approached the school teacher. "Miss Blanchard?"

"Yes?" The woman looked up from a stack of papers on her desk.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about Henry Mills, he's missing."

"I just thought that he was home sick. What happened?"

"Did you give him your credit card so that he could find me?"

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Emma Swan, I'm Henry's birth mother."

"And him?"

"This my younger brother, Carter. You don't know anything about this do you?"

"No, unfortunately not," Mary Margaret said honestly, going to check her wallet. What she found must not have been what she hoped because she let out an exasperated sigh and set it back down. "Clever boy… I should never have given him that book. They're just some old stories I gave him. Henry is a special boy. So smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it. I feel awful, this is all my fault."

"No, it's not. How's the book supposed to help, though?"

"What do you think stories are for? These stories are classics. There's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense. See, Henry hasn't had the easiest life. He's like any adopted child. He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face – why would anyone give me away? …I am so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean in any way to judge you."

"It's okay."

"Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have. Hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."

"You know where he is, don't you?"

"You might want to check his castle."

* * *

It turns out that the boy's castle was an old wooden play structure on the beach, a rickety thing with rotting boards but loads of character. I told the boys to stay put as I approached the solemn looking boy with caution.

"Hey, kid," I called, leaning against the play structure where he was sitting. "Your mom is looking for you."

"You're my mom," the boy grumbled, looking down at his lap.

"No kid, Regina is your mom and she loves you."

"You don't love me?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then why'd you give me away? I always thought that it was because you wanted to give me my best chance but you kept them."

"Carter and Matthew are my brothers and I took them in because my parents died. Henry, I was 18 and in college when I had you and I wasn't ready to have children. I had just graduated medical school when our parents died so I had the time and money to raise them. I didn't put you up for adoption because I didn't want to, it was to give both of us our second chance."

"Couldn't your parents-"

"Emmy!" Carter yelled, running towards me with Henry's story book in his arms. Henry smiled at him and it caused me to as well, you couldn't help but love the little boy. When he reached us he smiled up at the brunette boy, handing the oversized book to him. "You left this in the caw Henwy."

"Thank you, Carter," Henry smiled at him, lifting him up to sit beside him on the play structure.

"The clock doesn't move?"

"It hasn't in years. I was hoping that when I brought Emma back, things would change here. That the final battle would begin."

"Battle?"

"There's no battle, Carter. Henry," I warned. I was fine if that was the way that Henry coped but I couldn't have him scaring Carter. "Let's go."

"Please don't take me back there. Just stay with me for one week. That's all I ask. One week, and you'll see I'm not crazy."

"I have to get you back to your mom."

"You don't know what it's like with her. My life sucks!"

"Oh, you want to know what sucking is? Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway. My parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital. I might've never found a home if my mom and dad hadn't found me. Look, your mom is trying her best. I know it's hard and I know sometimes you think she doesn't love you, but at least she wants you."

"Your parents didn't leave you on the side of a freeway. That's just where you came through."

"What?"

"The wardrobe. When you went through the wardrobe you appeared in the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse."

"My parents are dead, kid."

"No! Snow White and Prince Charming gave you up to give you your best chance."

"Sure they did. Come on, Henry, let's get you back to your mom."

Regina was grateful that I found him and, even though he ignored her and ran into the house, it looked like she was going to hug me. The boys were in the car and so I stepped closer, touching her arm lightly. I don't know why but being around her I had this impulse to touch her as it had such a calming effect on me. She sighed and unconsciously moved closer as well, making me smile.

"He can be so very stubborn sometimes," Regina said quietly, rubbing her left temple with one hand. "Thank you for finding him."

"You're welcome."

"He's taken quite a liking to you."

"I'm so sorry for that. I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine. When I adopted Henry I read the entire file, including his parentage and why you gave him up. I'm not going to judge you, that was an impossible choice and you had to make the one that you could live with."

"He looked so much like him when he was born but…"

"Now he looks like you? Yes, he does."

"I couldn't even look at him when he was born but now, I don't have those same feelings. It's amazing."

"If, if you want to see him-"

"I don't want to take him away from you, Regina. He's your son. I made my decision and now I have to live with it."

"Just… think about it Emma."


	3. Chapter 3

By the time we left the mayoral mansion it was three in the afternoon so I made the executive decision to go to the diner for a late lunch. The boys hadn't had anything since breakfast and I hadn't eaten since the cupcake the night before. The little diner was fairly empty so it was easy for us to snag a booth. I slid in and waited as Carter plastered himself to my side, Matt sliding in across from us.

"You're new in town?" The waitress inquired as she handed us menus.

"We won't be here long I just have some business to attend to," I said, trying to wave her off.

"You're Henry's birth mother, right? That's what everyone is saying."

"Everyone?"

"It's a small town, word travels fast. But how about we get you guys some food?"  
"I'll have a bacon double cheeseburger, fries, and tea and Carter will have a grilled cheese, fries, and chocolate milk. Matthew?"

"I want a hamburger, no cheese, and a water," the boy said, handing our menus back to the waitress who left for the kitchen. He turned to me, suspicion in his eyes. "What are we still doing here, Em?"

"I don't know, Matt. I know that we should leave but I can't. Henry…"

"He needs you."

"You guys need me."

"There's enough of you to go around, enough room in your heart for all three of us. I know you're scared but-"

"Me? I'm not scared."

"Yes you are, Emmy," Carter broke in, looking up at me. "Henwy makes you nerbous."

I smiled at the boy for knowing me so well that he could see through my exterior. They were right, of course. I still wasn't completely convinced though. "But we can't just up and leave Boston."

"Sure we can," Matt smiled. The waitress came back with our drinks and food and he continued as we dug in. "Call them and let them know that you're resigning. Carter and I can enroll in school here. Hannah is in New York and we sold Mom and Dad's house, we have nothing keeping us in Boston."

"What about your friends?"

"We'll make new ones. Just give it a try."

"Fine," I grumbled, shoving some fries in my mouth. I hated when Matt acted like my parent, it always made me feel like I wasn't doing a very good job at being an adult. I had so many insecurities about raising my brothers because we had had the best parents in the world. It was hard to fill the shoes they left behind.

"Ms. Swan?" Someone called. Turning around I found the man from the night before, the one Regina had called "Sheriff". "I see you haven't left yet."

"No. I was actually thinking that I, we, might stay in town a while. You know, to see how things go," I answered, choosing my words carefully. I wasn't sure how I felt about the man but something about him made me uneasy.

"Well, that's good. I think it'd be good for Henry to have you in his life."

I didn't really care what he thought but I was far too polite to say it. I couldn't set that kind of example for the boys. He left us alone after that and for that I was thankful. As we were getting up to leave in walked the pixie-haired school teacher, Mary Margaret. I smiled at her warmly, she seemed so kind.

"Hi Emma, Carter, and who's this?" The woman asked, offering her hand to Matt.

"This is Matthew, my little brother," I answered. If it had been anyone else I would've been worried about them being an absolute stranger but there was just something about the brunette that put me at ease.

"Are you heading out?"

"Actually, we're gonna stay here a while. The boys thought it'd be a good idea and I'd like to try it."

"You're staying for Henry?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you need a place to stay I live alone in a three bedroom apartment. You're more than welcome to live with me."

"Um, thanks but we're good here for a while."

"Well, if you change your mind…"

I regarded the woman oddly as she passed us to take a seat at the bar. It wasn't exactly normal to offer to let a stranger and her two kids move in but I tried not to put too much thought into it. Overthinking it would just drive me crazy. I herded the boys up to the room for the afternoon to make the arrangements and call Hannah about getting our things.

"Seriously? You're staying?" My little sister screeched into the phone. I could practically feel her pacing back and forth in front of her desk at the Manhattan DA's office. "Emma-"

"Don't start with me Han," I warned her. "You know that I need to do this."

"For Henry?"

"No, for me. I need to see where this is going to go. I need the chance to get to know my son. He-he doesn't look anything like /him/ anymore. It's not the same. Seeing him doesn't bring back the memories the way it used to."

"I just… I don't want you to hurt yourself because you feel like you have an obligation to this boy. You don't owe him anything."

"I can't punish him for what his father did."

"I know Em but… I remember what you were like after-"

"Stop Hannah, I'm staying. It's not up for discussion. The boys and I agreed that this is what we're going to do. Are you going to help us or not?"

"I'll do you one better; I'll get your stuff and join you."

"What? No! Hannah, you can't leave your job. This is your dream job."

"There will be other dream jobs. I'll always be able to find a dream job because I graduated valedictorian from Harvard on a full scholarship. There will always be people that are offering me jobs but this may be the only time in your life that you have the chance to get to know your son and I'm not gonna let you screw that up. Besides, someone is going to have to help you watch the kids while you're getting to know your son."

"Hannah, you are a godsend."

"Oh, I know. It'll take me a day to get all of my affairs in order but I'll be up with all of your stuff as soon as I can."

"I was offered a place to stay. Henry's teacher has two spare bedrooms. Would you mind sharing a room with me?"

"Don't you mean you and Carter? I know he sleeps in your bed every night."

"Ah yes. Maybe you'll be sharing a room with Matt then."

"As long as he showers. I love you and I'll see you in a few days."

"I love you too. Be safe, little sister."


End file.
